1 / 21

Gusset Plate Inadequacy

Gusset Plate Inadequacy. Carl R. Schultheisz. Presentations. Bridge description and collapse Construction activities on bridge at time of collapse Gusset plate inadequacy Finite element analysis Design and review process Bridge load rating and bridge load analysis Bridge inspections

vance-pace
Download Presentation

Gusset Plate Inadequacy

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Gusset Plate Inadequacy Carl R. Schultheisz

  2. Presentations • Bridge description and collapse • Construction activities on bridge at time of collapse • Gusset plate inadequacy • Finite element analysis • Design and review process • Bridge load rating and bridge load analysis • Bridge inspections • Gusset plate inspections

  3. Introduction January 15, 2008, interim safety recommendation to the Federal Highway Administration Require bridge owners to evaluate gusset plates when modifications were being considered Based on Initial on-scene findings Federal Highway Administration analysis

  4. Overview • Bridge design basics • Allowable Stress Design methodology • Design forces • I-35W design • Review of design documents • Evaluation of gusset plates • Clearly inadequate capacity of gusset plates at U10 and other nodes

  5. Bridge Design Basics Design began in 1962 Governed by AASHO specifications 1961 AASHO Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges 1961/1962 AASHO Interim Specifications 1964 Minnesota Highway Department Standard Specifications for Highway Construction

  6. Bridge Design Basics Allowable Stress Designmethodology Stress= Force/Area Truss member forces counteract the weight of structure and traffic

  7. Bridge Design – Allowable Stress AASHO allowable stress no more than 55 percent of the yield stress Yield stress defines limit of usable load-carrying capacity of a material The allowable stress level ensures a substantial margin of safety

  8. Bridge Design - Forces Design force: calculated in accordance with AASHO specifications Design force calculated from dead load plus live load plus impact Live load = AASHO-specified lane loads AASHO-specified lane load Represents unusual, heavy traffic load Provides additional margin of safety

  9. Bridge Design – General Review Design documents obtained from Mn/DOT and Jacobs Engineering Included drawings and computation sheets Complete and detailed documentation, except for main truss gusset plates Design was also evaluated using finite element models Appropriate design methodology No significant deficiencies, other than in main truss gusset plates

  10. Bridge Design – Gusset Plates AASHO specifications stated that gusset plates shall be of ample thickness to resist shear, direct stress, and flexure No documents showing main truss gusset plate design Documents did show design methodology for welded floor truss gusset plates Analysis guided by gusset plate design for welded floor trusses

  11. U10 - Member Forces Transferred by the Gusset Plate Upper chord 924,000 lbs compression Upper chord 2,147,000 lbs tension Compression diagonal 2,288,000 lbs Tension diagonal 1,975,000 lbs Vertical 540,000 lbs tension

  12. U10 - Design for Shear Upper chord 924,000 lbs compression Upper chord 2,147,000 lbs tension A A Compression diagonal Horizontal component 1,361,000 lbs Tension diagonal Horizontal component 1,363,000 lbs

  13. Upper chord 924,000 lbs compression Upper chord 924,000 lbs compression Upper chord 2,147,000 lbs tension Upper chord 2,147,000 lbs tension Compression diagonal Horizontal component 1,361,000 lbs Compression diagonal Horizontal component 1,361,000 lbs Tension diagonal Horizontal component 1,363,000 lbs Tension diagonal Horizontal component 1,363,000 lbs U10 - Design for Shear SHEAR

  14. Upper chord 924,000 lbs compression Upper chord 2,147,000 lbs tension Compression diagonal horizontal component 1,361,000 lbs Tension diagonal horizontal component 1,363,000 lbs U10 - Design for Shear Total = 3,071,000 lbs SHEAR Total = 2,724,000 lbs

  15. Bridge Design – U10 Calculations Shear force Area Shear stress = 3,071,000 pounds 100 square inches = = 30,710 pounds per square inch

  16. Bridge Design – U10 Calculations Demand Shear stress from member design forces 30,071 pounds per square inch Capacity AASHO specified allowable stress 15,000 pounds per square inch Demand-to-Capacity ratio = 2.05

  17. Bridge Design – U10 Calculations The Demand should be less than the Capacity The Demand-to-Capacity ratio should be less than 1 U10 Demand-to-Capacity ratio = 2.05 To make the Demand-to-Capacity ratio equal to 1, the U10 gusset plate thickness would have to increase from ½ inch to slightly more than 1 inch

  18. Results - Gusset Plate Shear Analysis U4 U10 L11

  19. Gusset Plate Analysis Summary Analysis showed that the U10 gusset plates had clearly inadequate capacity Other gusset plates had similar inadequate capacity No records were found for design of main truss gusset plates No other design deficiencies found

  20. Result • January 15, 2008 – Interim safety recommendation to the Federal Highway Administration

More Related